Caught Live: Hadouken!
JAMES SMITH, the fresh faced front man of HADOUKEN! may look wet behind the
ears, but this lad has got the modern music industry sussed.
Not only do the nu-ravers release music through their record label - they also
happily give away tracks for free on their website. After an intimate show
in a tiny London venue he told us:
"These days no kid buys CDs, they just download music. So we were looking
for a way where people could get involved and it wasn't just like they'd
downloaded it illegally. We just wanted to give them free stuff. It was a
way of getting people together.
"There's only 150 people here, we normally play to a thousand. These gigs
in a way are far more exciting. These are definitely the hardcore. Those
kids that buy the membership, they get invited to these gigs.
"People were like: 'Don't sign to major label, they'll be terrible!' But
they've been really up for things. Whenever we've asked for things or
suggested things, they've been really up for doing it. So we're kinda quite
pleased about stuff. "
The five Leeds University graduates charged through 9 songs in a whirlwind of
glowsticks, guitars and bouncing beats. The sprightly teenagers in the
audience for the secret gig at Camden's Barfly were members of HADOUKEN!'s
fan club - called Aerials. As soon at the band came on, the throng swarmed
to the front and went berzerk for almost the entire 40 minute set.
It's a fluffy, glowing, polite brand of rebellion that the band offer. And SMITH
is nothing short of ruthlessly amiable when he's talking to us. Even when
he's rapping angrily on Declaration Of War he only sounds as grumpy as you
would if someone trod on your toe.
Tuning In is the band's funniest song - where SMITH gets to sing jokey
lyrics about trying to get a posh girl into bed by pretending to be
interested in her boring stories. That Boy That Girl - off the band's album
Music For An Accelerated Culture (out May 5th) is their best effort - it's a
smash 'n' grab mix of indie-rock and dubstep.
People may say nu-rave is over and HADOUKEN! are just clinging on by
their fingers, but it's clear the kids have still got a hearty appetite for
jumping around to this stuff.
SMITH tells us later about the rock tourbus they've got parked outside: "We've
stepped up and the new tourbus makes it easier cos you get more sleep.
"We're up to a basic level now, we're not LED ZEPPELIN but it's
comfortable - so you can just focus on the gig everyday and go nuts and have
a drink and enjoy yourself. I'm sure we won't ever become the nu-rave LED
ZEPPELIN though!"
